The present invention relates generally to structures for housing animals and more particularly to portable pet kennels and pet crates. In some embodiments, the present invention relates to portable pet crates for housing or transporting dogs.
Various types of structural enclosures for storing and transporting animals are known in the art. Conventional portable animal crates such as those used for housing and transporting dogs typically include a plastic or metal wire construction and include an interior enclosure with a selectively openable door. Conventional portable animal crates generally include a single-layer construction such as a single layer of plastic, metal or wire mesh. The single-layer material forms the structural support and also defines the enclosure space within the interior of the crate. Conventional single-layer animal crates of this type are generally sized to easily fit in the bed of a truck or the cargo area of a sport-utility vehicle, and such crates are often used by sportsmen, disabled persons, rescue, military and/or law enforcement personnel for storing and transporting dogs. Such conventional portable animal crates provide a benefit of being relatively lightweight and portable such that a single person can lift and move the crate. Additionally, these types of conventional animal crates are generally sized to accommodate only the animal or animals to be housed within, thereby enhancing the portable nature of the product.
One problem with conventional single-layer portable animal crates is the lack of structural integrity and toughness of construction. A single-layer material wall may easily deflect or buckle under a load, potentially harming the animal housed within the enclosure. For example, owners of portable animal crates may regularly move the crate between a house and a vehicle or other location. During repeated movement of the crate, conventional single-layer animal crates may be inadvertently dropped or impacted resulting in cracks or dents in the material. Also, while travelling in a vehicle, conventional portable single-layer animal crates may be crushed or severely deformed during a vehicle accident or other impact. Such deformation may severely injure or kill the animal housed within the enclosure.
Additionally, conventional animal crates having single-layer material walls provide little insulation to animals housed within the enclosure in cold weather, especially when transported in an exposed environment such as the bed of a pickup truck. Such conditions are frequently experienced by sportsmen when transporting sporting dogs during winter hunting seasons. To overcome this problem, users of such conventional single-walled animal crates are often forced to cover the crate with an insulating blanket or crate cover when transporting an animal in cold weather. However, conventional crate covers and blankets are expensive, cumbersome, may become torn or ripped, and further may be blown off the crate or become misaligned during use.
Another problem with conventional portable animal crates is the range of motion of the door. Conventional animal crates typically include a metal or wire mesh screen door that is pivotable relative to the frame surrounding the door opening. Conventional doors for animal crates have a range of motion from a closed position to a maximum open position between 90 and 180 degrees away from the door opening where the door encounters a door stop. At such a maximum open position, the door extends away from the crate in a precarious location. While at the maximum open position, conventional animal crate doors—if forced further in the opening direction—may break or cause damage to the crate. Further, such conventional doors require additional space around the kennel to accommodate the door when in the maximum open position. This is undesirable when using a crate in a constant door-open configuration in a space-limited environment such as in a home, automobile, or in the field. In many applications it is generally desirable to provide a crate door with a maximum open position consuming the least amount of space around the crate. Others have attempted to overcome this problem by providing a crate door that is detachable. However, such solutions are often inadequate because the attachment and detachment procedures are cumbersome, and the door may be broken, damaged or lost when detached.
A further problem with conventional portable animal crates is the interior environment may become soiled during use. For example, many portable plastic animal crates include a bottom that is continuously molded into the side walls rising from the bottom. As such, any liquid or animal waste accumulation inside the bottom of the crate will remain in the crate. When such crates are used with wet animals or in wet conditions, water and mud has a tendency to accumulate in the bottom of the crate. This generally creates an uncomfortable environment for the animal. Moreover, the accumulation of water in the bottom of an animal crate may be harmful to animals in wet cold conditions such as those experienced by sporting dogs during winter hunting seasons. Additionally, the lack of drainage in the crate makes it difficult to wash out the interior of the crate with a spray hose.
A further problem with conventional portable animal crates includes the inability of a crate to be easily secured to a structure such as the bed of a pickup truck or the interior of a sport utility vehicle. During travel, it is often preferable to have the crate securely tied down to a rigid object. Many conventional plastic animal crates do not include external attachment points for securing webbing, rope, or other supports to the crate. Users of conventional crates often place tie-downs over the roof of the crate. However, without attachment points, the tie-down material may slip or become dislodges, especially during wet weather, or during a high-impact situation such as a vehicle accident. When a tie-down becomes loose, the crate may undesirable separate from the vehicle and further injure the animal housed within. Conventional animal crates also have a tendency to slide on surfaces when unsecured. This may further enhance the potential for damage to the crate and/or the animal inside the crate during transport.
What is needed, then, are improvements to animal enclosures to address these and other problems.